Walking-machine.



C. F. WILSON.

WALKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED `IuLY I, I9I6.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Ca///J//sog Him/Hey Patented May 21,1918.

C. F. WlLSON.

WALKING MACHINE. APPLICATION HLED 1uLYx,1916.

Patented May 21,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

a i ,ad M .u au 6 n P u CARL F. WILSON, 0F BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

WALKING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1918.

Application iled .T uly 1, 1916. Serial No. 107,159.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL F. WILSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Walking- Machines, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to a movable supporting device especially adapted' for carrying and moving dredges or the like from one position to another by a series of steps inv such manner that the dredge or other similar machine may progress with the work that is being accomplished by it. Heretofore in moving machines of this character it has been necessary to lay a track for the supporting frame on which the working machine is mounted, a great deal of time and labor and expense being consequent to the track laying. My invention has for its primary object and purpose the provision of a simple mechanism whereby this expense may be eliminated, no bed or track for transporting the machine being necessary. Other objects and purposes together with novel and useful construction for attaining the same will appear as understanding of the invention is had, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a plan view of the movable support for the dredge or like machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a different position of the parts during the movement thereof.

Fig. 4 is another View similar to Figs. 2 and 3 illustrating a still further position of the parts during their operation.

Fig. 5 is .a vertical section upon the line 5 5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the pivotal connection of one of the moving parts of the machine whereby its direction of movement may be changed.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several -views of the drawings.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention as disclosed in the drawings, spaced apart runners 1 are provided formed preferably of channel iron and having their forward ends turned upwardly as shown at 2, each of these runners for the major part of its length being reinforced by a centrally located I-beam 3. At each end of each I- beam av bracket 4 is mounted, each pair of brackets carried by an I-beam serving to support the ends of I-beams 5. The frame is completed by cross beams 6 of any preferred type and braces 7 which lead from the forward ends of beams 5 to the forward ends of the runners 1. This frame may carry any suitable mechanism such as needs to be moved intermittently with the progress of the work done by such mechanism such for instance, as a dredge, the boom of which may be mounted on the forward beams 6, it however, forming no part of the present invention.

Adjacent the rear end of the frame a knuckle 8 is mounted upon a shaft 9 at each side of the frame, this knuckle being of the ordinary and well known type of steering knuckle used in self-propelled vehicles and having a spindle 10 on which is mounted a roller 11 provided with a central flange 12, the knuckle also having an arm 13 positioned substantially at right angles to the spindle 10. The ends of arms 13 are connected by rods 14: which at their center carry a short rack 15 with which a pinion 16 on a steering post or rod 17 engages. The runners 1 lie upon the ground, the outer surface of the rollers 11 being substantially in the same plane at their lowest points with the undersurface of the runners while the central rib or flange 12 embeds itself in the ground.

Near the forward end of the frame a cross shaft 18 is mounted in bearings 19. At each end of the shaft a loose sleeve 2O is mounted being retained thereon by a collar 20a. A gear 21 is keyed or in any other suitable manner permanently secured to the sleeve 20 while alongside of this gear a segmental gear 22 is also permanently secured to the sleeve. The segment of the gear 22 is housed within a member comprised of upper and lower channels 23 and 24 connected at their ends by integral curved channels 25. On the underside of the upper channel 23 a rack 26 is formed and similarly on the upper side of the under channel 2a a rack 27 is formed. An elongated block 28 is pivotally connected beneath the under channel portion 24, it lying between the upwardly extending flanges of an auxiliary runner 80, the front end of which is turned upwardly at 31 to correspond with the front end 2 of the main run- 38 between the ends of shaft 36 and each of -1 the shafts 34 are used to connect the shaft 36 with either or both of the shafts 34 at will.

lVh'en it is desired to move vthis frame ahead in a straight line both of the clutches 38 are operated so that both of shafts 34 are driven these, in turn through gears 33 and 21 simultaneously, turning the segmental gears 22 about shaft 18. The gear segments 'first engage with the lower rack 27 elevating the forward ends of runners -1 and as the turning movement of the segmental gears progresses carrying said runners and attached parts forward until the segmental gears 22 disengages from'the lower rack.

When this disengagement takes place the auxiliary runners 30 are positioned to the .rear with respect to the main runners 1 and as the continuation of the movement of the segmental gears continues so that they engage with rack 26, the auxiliary runners and the housing formed of channel iron members are elevated, these auxiliary runners in turn being carried forward, it being apparent that during this movement,-by reason of the overbalancing of the rear end of auxiliary runners, the forward ends are elevated farther above the ground so as to be clear of any' obstacles to their movement. As long as the clutches 38 remain in engagement, this step by step movement continues and the frame is carried forward in a straight line by a series of steps which may be discontinued at any vworks the other clutch 38 to operate its assotime by operating clutches '38 to disconnect the power.

' When a change of direction is desired steeringrod 17 is turned so that the wheels 11 are positioned at an angle as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. @ne only of the clutches 38 is then operated to connect one of the shafts 34 with the power shaft 36, causing a forward movement of one side of the machine and a turning of the entire machine on the opposite auxiliary runner about the pivot 29. Of course during this operation of turning it is necessary to guard against sharp angles of turning and the operator, while one clutch 38 remains continually in operative position, intermittently ciated segmental gear 22 suiiiciently that the auxiliary runner 30 associated with that gear -doesnot become turned so that the rollers 32 `come out from under the channel 24.

Tith a device of this character heavy machinery may be moved without the necessity of laying tracks for its support and this upon comparatively soft ground by reason of the wide bearing surface of the main auxiliary runners. Many changes in construc- V tive 'detail for attaining the result described may be resorted to without departing from the invention dened in the appended claims and accordingly I consider myself entitled to all modifications of structure falling within the scope of the claims. A

I claim l. A traveling frame, comprising main and auxiliary supports adapted to be intermittently vlifted and moved forward, a segment mounted upon one of thel supports and adapted to have a rotary movement imparted thereto, `and upper and lower racks mounted upon the remaining support and adapted to be alternately engaged by the segment gear.

Q .A traveling frame, comprising main and auxiliary :runners adapted to be alternately lifted and moved forward, upper and lower racks` mounted upon the auxiliary runner and having pivotal connection therewith, and a segment gear rotatably mounted upon the main vrunner and adapted to `engage the racks in alternation.

3. In a device of the character described, a frame including spaced apart main runners, a shaft on the frame, a segmentalgear loosely mounted at each end of the shaft, an auxiliary runner located at each end of the shaft, a housing connected to and' above each auxiliary runner in which the 'segmental gears are located, upper and lower racks in each housing for engagement by said segmental gears, and means to driveV the gears, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the character described, a frame including spaced vapart main runners, a shaft on the frame, a segmental gear loosely mounted at each end of the shaft, an` auxiliary runner located at each end of the shaft, a housing pivotally connected to and aboveV each auxiliary runner in which the segmentalgears are located, upper and lower racks in leach housing yfor engagement' by said segmental gears, and means to drive the gears either separately or in unison, substantially as described.

5. In a supporting frame for dredges or the like, spaced apart main supporting runners having a comparatively wide under surface, a reinforcin lbeam extending from the rear end of eac runner part 'of the length of said runner, brackets on the beams,

' a longitudinal beam carried by -said brackets, and crossbeams interposed between the 4longitudinal beams, said forward cross beams being located a` distance vbackof the front ends ofthe runners whereby a dredge or the like mounted on the frame is held from over-balancing toward the front by the forward extensions to the runners in front of the forward cross beams, substantially as described.

6. In a device of the character described, a frame including spaced apart main sup porting runners, a shaft on the frame, a sleeve loosely mounted at each end of the shaft, a gear and a segment of a gear Xed to each sleeve, a housing comprised of upper and lower channel members connected together in spaced apart relation at the ends thereof in which each segmental gear is located, upper and lower racks in the housing, an auxiliary runner attached to the underside of each housing, a pinion meshing with each gear, a shaft for each pinion mounted on the frame, and means for driving said shafts either separately or in unison.

7 A traveling frame, comprising `main and auxiliary runners adapted to be alternately lifted and moved forward, segment gears independently mounted upon the main runners and adapted to be rotated at the same or different speeds, and upper and lower racks mounted upon each of the auxiliary runners and having pivotal connection therewith and adapted to be engaged in alternation by the coperating segment gears.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CARL F. WILSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

